BLOG: Darrin Horn's reaction

Darrin Horn said he was "obviously disappointed" not to get selected to the NCAA tournament. He invoked seniors Zam Fredrick and Branden Conrad, who won't have another shot.

"This team has accomplished a whole lot this year, and I think it exceeded a lot of expectations," Horn said. "The history would tell you that if you're 10-6 in the SEC and divisional co-champ, there is great possibility that you will play in the tournament. And that just wasn't the case this year."

The team watched the selection show together at Horn's house. Asked if there was a sense of surprise, Horn said it was "hard to say."

Horn appeared to think that the SEC's perceived weakness was the biggest factor, pointing to the low seeds for the other league teams: LSU at 8, Tennessee at 9, Mississippi State at 13.

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.

Along those lines, Horn returned to the theme of the SEC not having a dominant team. He cited Maryland, which received an at-large bid despite being 7-9 in the ACC, but got credit for beating top teams like North Carolina and Wake Forest.

As for his nonconference schedule, Horn said he didn't think it was a huge factor, but he would still try to beef it up next year. But Horn made it sound like he would've done that anyway because it would be his second year, his system would be established, and most of the team is expected back.

As for the NIT, Horn said he "hoped" to host at least one game. He talked about the upshot of this being that the team can still play basketball.